Chapter 2: What Questions, Claire?
Ethan sat at the kitchen table for a long time, the consent form in his hands.
His signature.
His name.
His handwriting — almost.
But not quite.
When Claire walked through the door, she stopped the moment she saw his face.
"Ethan—"
"Sit down," he said quietly.
She sat.
"Who is Noah's father?" he asked.
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
"You are."
"Then why didn't you tell me he existed?"
She opened her mouth.
Closed it.
"Six years, Claire.
He's six years old."
"I was scared," she whispered.
"I didn't know how to—"
"You forged my signature." He placed the consent form on the table between them.
"You put Lily through a medical procedure without my knowledge.
You let me believe Noah was your sister's child.
For six years."
Claire looked at the form.
Something shifted in her face — not guilt.
Something closer to calculation.
"I needed to save him," she said.
"You would have asked questions."
"I would have asked questions," Ethan repeated slowly.
"That's what you were afraid of."
Claire said nothing.
"What questions, Claire?" His voice dropped.
"What is it you still haven't told me?"
She looked away.
Then his phone buzzed on the table.
A message from a number he didn't recognize.
*There's something about Noah you need to know.
Something Claire has never told you.
Meet me tomorrow.
Come alone.*
---
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What Ethan found out next shattered everything he thought he knew about his own family.
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